HLS 14RS-398 ORIGINAL
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Regular Session, 2014
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 96
BY REPRESENTATIVE BADON
COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES: Requests public postsecondary education institutions
offering baccalaureate degrees to develop and promote plans for completion of such
degrees in three years
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON1
To urge and request public postsecondary education institutions offering baccalaureate2
degrees to develop and promote plans that will enable students to complete such3
degrees in three years.4
WHEREAS, the rising costs of postsecondary education are creating numerous5
detrimental effects including increasing the number of potential students for whom a college6
education is cost prohibitive, placing tremendous financial strain on students' family budgets,7
difficulties in balancing state budgets as the state's obligations increase, and the burgeoning8
debt with which many students are graduating; and9
WHEREAS, postsecondary education policy makers should explore every available10
option for reducing the cost of postsecondary education so as to mitigate these detrimental11
effects; and12
WHEREAS, one policy option that is worthy of serious attention is reducing the time13
it takes to complete a bachelor's degree to three years; and14
WHEREAS, numerous factors can contribute to the possibility that a student can15
finish undergraduate studies in three years: high school Advanced Placement courses and16
other opportunities to start college with a substantial number of completed credits, summer17
and intersession course offerings at the institution, appropriate academic advising that begins18
very early in the student's academic career, and flexibility in graduation requirements that19
helps students avoid having to wait for particular courses to be offered; and20 HLS 14RS-398 ORIGINAL
HCR NO. 96
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WHEREAS, though in most cases there are no legal or policy-based impediments1
preventing students in Louisiana public colleges or universities from completing an2
undergraduate degree in three years, there has not been a systematic effort to coordinate the3
factors that make doing so possible so as to facilitate and encourage students to avail4
themselves of this possibility; and5
WHEREAS, Louisiana's public colleges and universities should be tasked with the6
duty of analyzing, identifying, and implementing programs and processes that would make7
the three-year degree option available to and practical for more students.8
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby9
urge and request the Louisiana public postsecondary education institutions offering10
baccalaureate degrees to develop and promote plans that will enable students to complete11
such degrees in three years.12
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
Badon HCR No. 96
Requests public postsecondary education institutions offering baccalaureate degrees to
develop and promote plans that will enable students to complete such degrees in three years.